Cruise Europe

Bremerhaven gets the green light for quay refurbishment

On March 20 the Senate of the State of Bremen approved reconstruction work on the Columbus Quay in Bremerhaven. Total expenditure for planning and execution is estimated at €78.7m. This amount will be included in fiscal planning until the year 2023.

Martin Gunthner, Senator for Economy, Labour and Ports, spoke about this being a 'good day for Bremerhaven'. The town now has a 'great opportunity to use the cruise industry as a sustainable reinforcement for the local economy.' To achieve this goal a rebuilding of the quay is an 'absolute necessity'.

The Columbus Quay was built originally between 1924 and 1926 and will not meet the requirements of the modern cruise industry and other potential users in the future.

Cruiseshipping is booming and becoming more and more important for ports like Bremerhaven. From 1990 to 2015 the port handled between 40,000 and 65,000 passengers per year. In 2016 there was a rapid increase, with 69 vessels arriving along with a total of 98,530 passengers. In 2017 that figure had reached 166,000 with 84 arrivals. Planning for 2018 envisages 112 ships carrying a total of about 235,000 passengers. According to the statement issued by the Senate, the number is expected to grow to 250,000 in 2019.

In recent years the Columbus Quay has repeatedly been used for the final outfitting of large new passenger vessels, as well as offering supplementary berths for the neighbouring cargo port.

With approval finally having been granted, it is now up to Bremenports as the port authority to draw up a detailed plan for quay reconstruction according to the processes stipulated by relevant legislation. The target now is to begin work early in 2021 with completion about three years later.